Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Does this constitute abuse of a guide dog? (self.Blind)
submitted by DitaVonFleas
Hello blind community, first time posting here. I was wondering if I could please ask a question regarding a situation involving my friend and his guide dog?
I have a friend we'll call T, who is blind and has a guide dog called F. T often praises his dog on social media, calling F a great dog, especially when things go awry, for example catching a replacement bus to work when the train line is down, and the like. I do believe he loves his dog, but the issue is that F's main flaw is that he still gets very distracted when walking down the street, or just about anywhere outside his house. He's the typical Labrador who loves to sniff at anything that tickles his fancy, from a rock, to a person, to food on the ground or a blade of grass. This causes T to drag him on his lead, either naturally from attempting to move forward, but also forcefully at times in order to redirect him, or seemingly punish him for not being the "perfect" dog. I can only count the times we have hung out together with F on my fingers, but every time, myself and other people who pass by feel extremely awkward and give worried looks at seeing a dog being dragged and pulled, as well as T grumbling at him. This of course has led to T being reported to Guide Dogs Australia multiple times about his treatment of F, and it's often distressing and frustrating to T; I'm sure it makes him feel like a bad person even though he and another mutual friend explain that of course he just needs to walk and get where he's going, and it isn't his fault if F's not doing his job properly. The topic of retraining F has come up a few times but T says that as he has a full time job, he needs F to take the train ever weekday to work, and it is my understanding that getting in a replacement dog while F is back at school so to speak is time-consuming and tedious work. So of course, T and F continue their awkward tug of war game every day. T just told me today that he had been informed of another person reporting him for dragging and "kicking" his dog. T is not a mean person at all, and there's no way he would be kicking F to injure him like some would imagine. It was likely a person saw him either walk into F by accident, give him a gentle knock to move him on, or the reporter lied to get Guide Dogs Australia to investigate. I feel so afraid of saying anything to offend T, like suggesting that F be retrained or even mentioning that the dragging looks terrible and that it might actually be abuse if he doesn't find a more suitable dog. In conclusion, what I'm asking for here is some insight on the correct and fair way to deal with an "imperfect" dog like F, and if my friend really is engaging in rough handling, or people just don't understand the predicament a blind person is in when his guide dog won't even let him walk where he wants to go. Thank-you
I have a friend we'll call T, who is blind and has a guide dog called F. T often praises his dog on social media, calling F a great dog, especially when things go awry, for example catching a replacement bus to work when the train line is down, and the like. I do believe he loves his dog, but the issue is that F's main flaw is that he still gets very distracted when walking down the street, or just about anywhere outside his house. He's the typical Labrador who loves to sniff at anything that tickles his fancy, from a rock, to a person, to food on the ground or a blade of grass. This causes T to drag him on his lead, either naturally from attempting to move forward, but also forcefully at times in order to redirect him, or seemingly punish him for not being the "perfect" dog. I can only count the times we have hung out together with F on my fingers, but every time, myself and other people who pass by feel extremely awkward and give worried looks at seeing a dog being dragged and pulled, as well as T grumbling at him. This of course has led to T being reported to Guide Dogs Australia multiple times about his treatment of F, and it's often distressing and frustrating to T; I'm sure it makes him feel like a bad person even though he and another mutual friend explain that of course he just needs to walk and get where he's going, and it isn't his fault if F's not doing his job properly. The topic of retraining F has come up a few times but T says that as he has a full time job, he needs F to take the train ever weekday to work, and it is my understanding that getting in a replacement dog while F is back at school so to speak is time-consuming and tedious work. So of course, T and F continue their awkward tug of war game every day. T just told me today that he had been informed of another person reporting him for dragging and "kicking" his dog. T is not a mean person at all, and there's no way he would be kicking F to injure him like some would imagine. It was likely a person saw him either walk into F by accident, give him a gentle knock to move him on, or the reporter lied to get Guide Dogs Australia to investigate. I feel so afraid of saying anything to offend T, like suggesting that F be retrained or even mentioning that the dragging looks terrible and that it might actually be abuse if he doesn't find a more suitable dog. In conclusion, what I'm asking for here is some insight on the correct and fair way to deal with an "imperfect" dog like F, and if my friend really is engaging in rough handling, or people just don't understand the predicament a blind person is in when his guide dog won't even let him walk where he wants to go. Thank-you
Devonvn 7 points 6y ago
That doesn't really sound like a safe partnership if the guide dog is so distractible. Of course every dog has its flaws, but generally guide dogs aren't supposed to try to sniff at things or go after food.
Do you think the organization he got the dog from would be willing to retire his and replace it?
I know he'd probably have to take some time off work to go to campus to get a new dog, but it could definitely be worth the sacrifice to not have to always get the dog refocused and back on track to go anywhere and if he has a focused and able dog, it's likely that he won't be reported anymore unless he really is just mean to dogs.
Do you think the organization he got the dog from would be willing to retire his and replace it?
I know he'd probably have to take some time off work to go to campus to get a new dog, but it could definitely be worth the sacrifice to not have to always get the dog refocused and back on track to go anywhere and if he has a focused and able dog, it's likely that he won't be reported anymore unless he really is just mean to dogs.
DitaVonFleas [OP] 2 points 6y ago
Thank-you, I appreciate the reply, and I agree with you. Do you think it's worth me bringing up retraining again? I feel so stuck between being a kind ear and a friend to T, and making sure abuse of a dog doesn't continue.
Devonvn 3 points 6y ago
Retraining and retiring are different things, retraining would likely require him to be without a guide dog for a certain amount of time whereas if he applies for a new dog, he wouldn't necessarily have to retire F until he's going to receive the new one.
Do you think he'd treat a new dog that works effectively the same way he treats F?
And do you think Guide Dogs of Australia will give him another dog after all of the complaints?
Do you think he'd treat a new dog that works effectively the same way he treats F?
And do you think Guide Dogs of Australia will give him another dog after all of the complaints?
DitaVonFleas [OP] 2 points 6y ago
Ah good point. I know T has been with F for quite a number of years now, so retiring sounds like a good idea. The thing is, can T continue to look after F as a normal dog or will he have to be rehomed? I think T will be upset about leaving F behind somewhere. No I don't think the dynamic would be the same with a more effective, efficient dog. I think T is just frustrated but too scared to let F go.
cerealcable 4 points 6y ago
You could bring up that a dog that is reluctant to work isn't a great situation for either of them. It only results in both of them being frustrated by the experience. Sounds like people have been noticing this and have mentioned it to the school on multiple occasions.
Putting this in perspective, not all dogs are down with the idea of working and some are retired early for things like this and it's just part of guide dogs. I would like to believe that you could have a conversation with T about options that will help F be happier.
The options I would suggest are to consider seriously discussing with the school about retiring and getting another dog or consider using F less frequently. As far as how to handle retiring F, /u/Devonvn mentioned that T usually has the option to keep F as well as the raisers who are took him as a puppy after T. Either way, F will be well taken care of, though I would expect every school to be slightly different.
Putting this in perspective, not all dogs are down with the idea of working and some are retired early for things like this and it's just part of guide dogs. I would like to believe that you could have a conversation with T about options that will help F be happier.
The options I would suggest are to consider seriously discussing with the school about retiring and getting another dog or consider using F less frequently. As far as how to handle retiring F, /u/Devonvn mentioned that T usually has the option to keep F as well as the raisers who are took him as a puppy after T. Either way, F will be well taken care of, though I would expect every school to be slightly different.
Devonvn 1 points 6y ago
With the organization I raise for, the handler gets first dibs on keeping the dog if it has been their partner for over a year; I can't promise that the organization your friend uses is the same, but my guess is that they'll let him keep F so long as he can provide for two dogs.
jrs12 4 points 6y ago
Tough situation! I feel like guide dog handlers are judged unfairly a lot of times because everyone in the world is always watching them. I raised a puppy and am very good friends with the man who handles him now. Bentley doesn't mess up often, but when he does, my friend gives a rough leash pop correction and runs Bentley through the activity again. He's a stern owner for sure. You can watch people cringe when he corrects Bentley. Still, my friend isn't doing anything wrong. He loves Bentley very much and they are a great working team. Bentley doesn't act fearful or skittish and is in decent physical shape. If I were you in this situation, calling the school would be my first step. Guide dog schools are very protective over the dogs they train and will voice concerns if they agree. It seems like this has been done many times already though. Perhaps it's time to talk to your friend about safety and what kind of job F is doing for him if he needs to be corrected all the time. Maybe encourage him to take his cane with him to work and practice certain parts of the route with his dog at heel using his cane. You never know when a dog will get sick or need to take time off work. It's always a good idea to be comfortable with doing routes with a cane as well as a dog. Maybe if your friend were more comfortable getting to and from work without a dog, he would be in a better frame of mind to make a proper decision regarding how he should handle his disagreements with F.
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